RANA 2 LST

Blegen and prosecutors agreed on a six-month schedule -
April 5, June 1, July 1, August 2, September 13 - for carrying
out provisions of the CIPA, which allows prosecutors to take
extraordinary measures to prevent classified information from
leaking to the public.
This is done mainly to protect the source of the
information and safeguard information that may be important
for national security.
Leinenweber set a date of September 13 for a hearing to
determine what classified information can be admitted as
evidence at trial. A status hearing for motions not related to
classified materials was set for May 11.
Blegen added that this case "does not work like a usual
case because there is a lot of different things you have to go
through when there is classified information".
He said he would be able to view the classified documents
in a special room that has been chosen in the courthouse for
the purpose once he is given his security clearance.
"If there is something in the documents that we think is
necessary for part of the defense we can attempt to get it
declassified. If the government does not agree to this, then
the court would decide whether the information should be
declassified," he said.
Blegen said he would be able to comment on whether the
CIPA process could cause problem for the defense "only until I
see the classified information".
"The charges that are brought out against Rana are the
ones that are in the indictment. The classified information
may relate to completely different people or may be tangiently
related to the case," he said. PTI